The instant application should be granted the priority dates of Nov. 8, 2004, the filing date of the corresponding German patent application 10 2004 054 121.3, as well as Sep. 1, 2005, the filing date of the International patent application PCT/EP2005/009395.
The present invention relates to a support for a support material for embroidering, to a conveying device for the support according to the invention, which support is constructed in particular as a support strip, and to an embroidery machine, with conveying device arranged thereon, for embroidering the support material.
As a rule embroideries are embroidered directly onto the fabric for embroidering, the fabric being inserted into corresponding hoops and secured. During insertion care must always be taken that the fabric for embroidering is flat and positioned exactly in the hoop. This can usually only be carried out by experienced employees in a time-consuming operation.
It is also known to embroider strip-shaped materials, the strip being conveyed beneath the embroidering head using a conveying device. The strip-shaped materials are used to produce name badges, etc. It is also known to position water-soluble or heat-soluble support films manually in hoops, whereby the hoop is secured to a drive device for movement in the X-Y plane on the embroidery machine and thereafter the support material is embroidered by means of the embroidery machine. Once the support material has been embroidered it can be released from the hoop or be dissolved by means of water of heat. Prefabricated emblems are also known which are fixed in the hoop in order to be embroidered to order. The problem of exact positioning in the hoop and exact positioning of the embroidered support material on an object to which the embroidery is to be sewn occurs again in this case.
The object of the present invention is to provide a support which carries a support material for embroidering, in other words a support material that is adapted to be embroidered, so that via the support the support material can be fed in a pre-positioned manner to an embroidery machine. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a conveying device and an embroidery machine for feeding and embroidering the support according to the invention.